New speaker technology vs. Old speaker tech???

Hifisoundguy: I thought I heard some Wharfedale WX0 vintage model, those are of alnico material? So they are the best of vintage? Wharfedale Airdale?

I wish to add that far too many audiophiles are distracted by technology or even totally fascinated by it. It completely occupies their minds, which contents them.

These same people always describe how much better their music 'sounds' by its increase in "clarity, impact, detail, soundstage, imaging, depth, dynamics, ..."

They never remark about how their favorite music changed for them, changed in what it meant to them, what it did to them, for them, where it took them, ...

Either they are insensitive to the subtleties of music (and not natural dancers) -OR- their systems/physical setups do not reveal HOW BEAUTIFULLY the world's best artists are playing just for them.

Ever have any thoughts along these lines?

Best,
Roy

Hi Royj, likewise good to see you back here & we eagerly await any new speaker releases that you might have.

yes, I have thoughts about this all the time. That's why I have been such an advocate of time-coherent speakers (& I think i might have convinced a few others that it's the only way to proceed for playback). And, that's why I've been off the hi-end gear merry go-round for a while now. For me, and I'm sure for many others as well, music has to be an emotional experience where the performers are "in the room" giving you a personal 1-1 live performance. I always liked that saying printed on Higher Octave Music CDs that goes like this "We believe there is a place that lives within us all. It is a place of vision and clarity where the rhythm of life moves in harmony with a higher consciousness. The purpose of our music is to take you there."

All speakers should use the appropriate magnets (if they use magnets at all), whether Alnico or other material. The woofer and the midrange of my speakers DO use Alnico. The woofer, which is modern could have been made with alternative magnetic material; the very vintage midrange compression driver could not have been made with the current, exotic alloys. I like the sound of my system, although I don't know to what extent the use of Alnico, vis-a-vis the use of other magnetic material, has improved the sound.

It might well be the case that certain current designs would not work well with Alnico. Alnico magnets are relatively weak and may not work well with designs that require a smaller magnet and very high flux density concentrated in a small area. Alnico also demagnetizes more easily, particularly if heated, which would be bad news in designs where high current could cause heating.

There is also the approach of using no permanent magnet in a dynamic driver. I have heard some VERY good fieldcoil drivers. The problem here is that the requirement for a power supply dramatically increases the complexity of a system. Good power supplies are quite hard to find.

06-11-15: Larryi
There are not that many "modern" horn drivers that even come close to comparing with some very old designs, apart from some attempts at exactly replicating those old horn drivers (the Japanese G.I.P. drivers, for example). Those modern, non-replica horn drivers that are really good are also terribly expensive, such as ALE drivers (a set of drivers cost more than a house). What else do folks put up as examples of modern compression/horn drivers that can compete with the best old stuff: Avantgarde?

Some of the older, sought after driver designs are, as you point out, quite (i.e. insanely) expensive, so for most who don't intend to rip their back pockets to shreds cheaper alternatives are called for. Here the modern designs (or simply new, rehashed dittos) seem the better option compared to their older siblings, if nothing else simply by virtue of being new and at least comparable in quality. It's a shame AlNiCo magnets are not more prevalent in newer designs, but price is likely a factor.

Those über-design units of the past are certainly something to strive for, which can be seen with drivers like the B&C DCM50 (inspired I believe, though a "convetional" design, by the RCA 1428 field coil unit) - at an affordable price. Some find it's one of the best midrange compression drivers around. Mr. Weiss of OMA and his Cogent field coil units would be copied/inspired designs as well, but should one be able to buy them I gather they'd be.. expensive.

Modern cross-overs are, if not necessarily by design then largely much better due to the advancement in materials used.

Yes, I agree that given the limited and fixed supply of ancient horn compression drivers they are not a realistic option for most people. It is also unfortunate that the good replicas and good modern alternatives are also quite pricey, with a few exceptions. I wish more companies would join the likes of Avantgarde in incorporating such old ideas into very modern designs. The likes of Cogent, G.I.P. and Goto cannot realistically advance horn popularity because of their super high prices.

I am at least encouraged by the growing use of wide range dynamic drivers in modern form (e.g. Voxative), although prices need to come down for these designs too (Tangband is one of the cheap players in this arena). It would be particularly nice if the best of these designs would trickle downward into the more affordable territory.

That is not to say that I don't enjoy hearing certain ultra modern designs. Modern speakers can easily beat the very old designs in most respects, but not all, and in many areas that really count, I like the old compression drivers (they deliver incredible low-level dynamics, plenty of detail and "texture" without sounding bleached and brittle). Still, I could easily see myself living with the likes of Raidho speakers.

I am pretty much ignorant of new vs. old crossover components. I have not experimented with old stuff. However, I have heard systems where someone went through a lot of trouble and expense to find and employ some very old Western Electric capacitors and inductors in their crossovers and the speakers sound very good. I might be inclined, in the future, to upgrade my crossover, but, I would be more likely to try modern Duelund caps and inductors rather than the really old stuff.